These Unusual College Essay Prompts Require Applicants to Dig Deep and Get Creative

It’s that time of year again! Essays, essays, and more essays! As the college Class of 2019 dives into their college applications, one admissions trend is holding true – college essay prompts are getting quirkier every year.

In order to delve deeper into the minds of applicants, colleges have been coming up with unusual and quirky essay prompts every year – with each year quirkier than the last! These unorthodox essay prompts may seem nonsensical at first, but they offer applicants a great opportunity to set themselves apart.

Here are some quirky and unusual supplement questions and essay prompts from this year’s college applications:

Little pigs, french hens, a family of bears. Blind mice, musketeers, the Fates. Parts of an atom, laws of thought, a guideline for composition. Omne trium perfectum? Create your own group of threes, and describe why and how they fit together. (University of Chicago – inspired by student in the Class of 2018)

To tell us more about yourself, please complete the following sentences using only the space provided.

UNC Professor Barbara Fredrickson – an expert in positive emotions – has defined love as “micro-moments of connection between people, even strangers.” Tell us about a time when you experienced a “micro-moment of connection.” What did you learn? (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill)

Imagine yourself in a tutorial at Williams. Of anyone in the world, whom would you choose to be the other student in the class, and why? (Williams College)

Consider the meaning of ''fair''. What impact does fairness – perceived or actual – have in society and your life? Has fairness ever helped or hurt you personally? At what cost or benefit to you or others? (Washington and Lee University)

BONUS: Bard College offers an alternative application known as The Bard Examination. In lieu of a traditional application, students submit four 2,500-word essays on topics ranging from science and math to social science and philosophy. What makes these essay questions so unusual? It’s not so much the questions themselves, but how the essays are used. Students must write full, academic essay responses that are then graded. Students who score a B+ or higher on the exam will then be granted admission.

Which weird and unusual essay prompt would you like to write about? Are there any even more unusual prompts that we missed? Tell us in the comments below!

Recent Posts

IvyWise College Admission Blog

Planning for College?

Receive essential college admissions info, right in your inbox.

Join our mailing list for the latest tips from our team of expert college admissions counselors, from how to prep for the college admissions process if you're just getting started, to what to do after your admissions decisions come in.

The IvyWise Difference

IvyWise empowers students to live up to their highest possible potential, both academically and personally. For over 19 years, IvyWise has been dedicated to helping students find the schools that will be a good fit for them, where they will be happy and succeed. Our team has over 150 years of combined experience and we have worked with thousands of students.